THE Earth quaked under the steps of the thousands of runners who swarmed to this year’s Surrey Half-Marathon.

Labelled the biggest running event in the county, and now in its third year, the 13.1-mile challenge pitted entrants on a scenic route from Woking to Guildford and back again.

First past the post was Barnaba Kipkoech in a supersonic time of 1.06:04 – meaning he clocked each mile in just a fraction over five minutes. Second to cross the line was Damaris Areba (1.10:57) who also took the crown of first female finisher.

Prior to the action, Mayor Derek McCrum praised organisers and entrants for their infectious enthusiasm, and billed the annual event as a ‘very important day in the borough’.

At 9.25am, shortly after the starter’s gun had ensured the hugely anticipated event got off with a bang 20 minutes earlier, attention turned to the kids’ Mini Marathon.

Taking the headlines for the second year ‘running’ was young Harry Hyde, who added the 2016 title to his victory in the same event last year.

And less than 30 minutes after the first junior runners were home and hosed, the leaders of the senior event came into view over the horizon. Of course, many of the 4,500 people taking part opted to utilise their ballot entry by pledging to raise money for a wide variety of charities.

One of the most popular on the day was Woking & Sam Beare Hospices, whose team were easy to spot in the Lycra-clad melee with their purple T-shirts.